Only I Am A Reader-Chapter 573: Mental Hacking

'It's like she is discount-Cassian.'

While Cassian did meet some success at the start of his story with his Special Ability's explosive growth, he fell into a deep slump that was quite similar to Kara's.

'Well, at this point, I can't really tell who is the discount version of whom.'

If she had stayed a person who barely managed to achieve success on the financial side of things, Kara could very well be Cassian from Temu. However, weren't her latest escapades the living proof that she wasn't just another meaningless extra?

'Of all the sources of hope she could pick…'

The always-calm reader couldn't help feeling a hint of fear from the way Kara looked at him, but he somehow still managed to keep eye contact. The answer to the puzzle was truly drawing near.

'She had to go with the same type of despairing blackhole?'

What remained of Cassian after avenging his parents was nothing but an empty shell. Sure, that empty shell contained a nuke inside, but the detonation device was missing.

Even that empty shell was teetering around the edge, ready to let go at any moment. To him, the only thing that made him finally look forward to the next day was observing the journey of a counter-existence like Aurora.

On the other hand, the only thing that brought back the collapsing Kara was finding solace in another tormented soul.

'Maybe we aren't too similar after all…?'

Both Cassian and Kara held on to something just when they were about to fall off. However, while one chose to observe the light as its shadow, the other sought to embrace mirrored darkness.

'The only question left is…'

"How?" 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Now that he heard the overview of Kara's story, things were starting to make sense for Leo who knew Cassian the best. Yet, despite this being the first meaningful word he uttered, Kara also appeared to know it all.

While instincts did sometimes act as a sixth sense in extreme situations, the best it could do was explain picking Cassian as Kara's beacon. Drawing comfort from his existence required actual information.

'Logically, there is only one source that could provide such information.'

The City of Villains did mention a broker who practically knew everything, but let alone normal humans, that guy mostly worked with villains.

Unless one was an extremely well-connected 'Hero', finding that person was close to impossible. Leo was well aware of that fact.

'Outside of logic…'

"Strange, right? Just when I was ready to give it all up, the source of my despair was the one that pushed me to the path of salvation. Many would call it irony, but rather than resent it, I chose to appreciate this belated compensation."

'Her Special Ability's true form.'

As usual, Leo's guess was right on the money, but his spontaneous guesswork was meaningless as Kara was in the process of spilling everything out.

"It feels like it has been ages since then, but actually, it was not too long ago. At that time, I didn't know you that well, but just like everyone else, the faint impression that I had of the villainous Cassian was that he was behind bars. Yet, somehow, we both ended up on the same public street."

'Wait…'

Considering that Leo had no previous impression of her, he thought that whatever started this had to be something that happened before he fully settled in as Cassian, but Kara's words proved him to be sorely mistaken.

"...I see, you don't remember seeing me that day. I could never forget it! Although there was no physical contact, our souls definitely connected."

Keeping up the poker face this far was precisely for the sake of a moment like this. Despite asking for information from Kara, he didn't want to convey anything that he didn't filter like this.

'Sigh.'

Unfortunately, something slipped through during that moment of surprise.

'I guess believing everything was under my grasp is the root cause behind this.'

"It started with just a shiver, but before I knew it, I was already immersed in several new experiences at the same time."

'Mental hacking?'

Leo was aware that her ability wasn't as simple as that, but he couldn't help feeling a bit of insecurity. At the same time, he underwent a sudden moment of enlightenment.

"It felt like years had gone by when I came to, yet in reality, not even a minute had passed. However, none of that mattered to me, only your presence did. Alas, you had already disappeared by then."

'I… need to accept this.'

"Feeling a deep sense of loss, I could only reminisce about my new experience- rather, your experience. Of course, it was mostly blurry, but the outline was clearly visible. Among everything, Cassian's pain was the most vivid, creating a strong resonance that my soul could never escape."

No matter what Leo did to achieve it. Total control was total bullshit. No matter how much of the future he knew, a person's grasp was just that. A person's grasp.

The story that was meant to get out would get out. Being a Reader didn't mean he could control the world. Instead, he had to skillfully adapt, rolling with whatever he had, all while expecting the unexpected.

"The first emotion that sprouted after I digested everything was envy. The suffering I just witnessed was perhaps greater than my own, but why? Why was it that your effort was rewarded while mine wasn't?"

The degree of twisting that Kara's expression underwent was unsettling, but the enlightened Leo was no longer bothered by it.

His poker face was calmer than ever, it was as if he was just a bystander rather than being the target of that ugly wave of jealousy.

"We both started as Superhuman disappointments, so why was it that pushing forward produced results on your side, while I only received continuous suffering?"

Quenched by the raw emotions that overflowed from Kara's words, Leo could tell.

He was definitely getting more than he bargained for.

'I wonder.'

Was it for the better or for the worse? Only time could tell.